Dark Crusade of Kronus
by Solufien
Summary: The Dark Crusade has begun on Kronus. Seven of the great powers in the galaxy has clashed for the sake of a single planet. Who will gain victory in a seemingly unremarkable Tau world, and why is it so important that such a war would happen?
1. Prologue: A New Warzone

**DARK CRUSADE**

**Prologue: A New Warzone**

The planet Kronus, a world with one large continent surrounded by a gigantic ocean of water, it was filled with a variety of landscapes. From the cities of Asharis & Pavonis and the deserts of Agamar & Janus, the jungles of Aceria & Rhean and the mountain ranges of Ariel & Hyperion, the frozen northlands of Vandea & Demes and the Thur'abis Plateau, to the coastal regions of Victory Bay & Morriah and the blasted wastelands of Deimos & Eres. Near the outer rim of the Lithesh sector, the Tau Empire captured it during the aftermath of the Damocles Gulf Crusade nearly 300 years ago. Despite being relatively close to the Imperium's border, it was left alone for the most part; as humanity had more important foes to deal with then a somewhat peaceful race.

But in 002 M42, it became the scene of another war in the Eastern Fringe. In what would later be known as the 'Dark Crusade' by the Imperium of Man, seven great armies clashed; each of them having a stake in Kronus' fate, each convinced they were right.

In the warped landscape of the Deimos Peninsula, lost souls created a great portal from which the Dark Apostle known as Eliphas the Inheritor, along with an entire company of Chaos Space Marines from the Word Bearers Traitor Legion, came forth to claim the world as his own in the name his Primarch Lorgar and Chaos Undivided.

In the snow-capped peaks of Tyrea, the Eldar Farseer Taldeer of Ulthwe, fresh from her victory over the Necrons of Lorn V, predicted that Kronus was also a Tomb World; and trusted no one else to vanquish her hated enemy.

From the Imperium of Man, General Lukas Alexander had originally been sent to hunt down the witch Taldeer for her part in the Cadian 412th's failure to capture the Titan at Lorn V. But upon landing on what was soon to be renamed Victory Bay, he and his regiment, named the 1st Kronus Liberators, were ordered to retake the world in the name of the Emperor.

Under the Thur'abis Plateau, the Necrons which Taldeer feared so much awoke from the ages old slumber, ready to reap the Red Harvest as commanded by the silent Necron Lord & his horrible god known as the Nightbringer.

On the Ork-infested Green Coast, Gorgutz Headhunter, having recently claimed Krull of the World Eaters as well as several human & tau backwaters, found himself on a world about to be ravaged by war, and was pleased to find a ruckus in which to take advantage of.

In the frozen wastelands of North Vandea, Captain Davian Thule of the Blood Ravens Space Marine Chapter built his Castellum Incorruptus with his strike force that had elements of the 1st & 4th Companies, as well as his 2nd. He had been sent by his Chapter Master & Chief Librarian to purge Kronus of the aliens & heretics that beset it, which apparently held secrets that might prove dangerous to his brothers if revealed.

And in the planet's capital of Asharis, which had long been renamed Or'es Tash'n, the Tau rulers were reinforced by several Cadres from their home sept of T'au, lead by Aun'el T'au Shi'ores and Shas'o T'au Kais. Kronus was home to not just tau, but kroot & their human subjects as well, and none would allow their sept to be taken without a fight.

The Dark Crusade had begun, and it could only been won when all others had lost.


	2. Chapter 1: Bearer of the True Word

**Chapter 1: Bearer of the True Word**

It had been eight days since the portal at Deimos Peninsula had been open before the Word Bearers that had been spat from it made their first move. That was the amount of time it took for the corrupting power of Chaos to change what was a paradise resort famed throughout the Tau Empire into a blasted wasteland, where the earth itself was cracked open and the once fertile soil was penetrated by sharp rocks that attacked any that had the rotten luck of going near them. If any needed a reason to stand with or against the Dark Powers, all they had to look and tremble. But most that did either bowed to the blasphemy against nature, or fed it with their flesh and blood.

This thought was pleasing to Eliphas the Inheritor, the Dark Apostle that was ordered by the daemonic Primarch Lorgar to take Kronus. He would do this without question; for unlike the other Traitor Legions, the Word Bearers were still unified under one Primarch that ruled with an iron fist. Not that he needed to be threatened, for each of the Gods of Chaos promised much if he destroyed all those that stood against him. If he were to take the head of Lord Krull from the boss pole of the ork Gorgutz and offer it to Khorne, the Blood God would give daemonic armour that would be proof against all blows. If the undead servants of the Star Gods fell, Tzeentch would reward him with a magical meltagun that would never need ammo in return for destroying the Necrontyr fools that hated the spirit more then life itself. In Victory Bay lay a Hellstorm cannon from a Titan of old that had served Nurgle during the Horus Heresy; if he were to capture it, the Grandfather of Plagues would give one of his cursed Manreapers, a scythe with a blade coated in the scum that made up Nurgle's Rot. When he found the lair of the Eldar and cracked open all the spirit-stones he could find from the buildings and bodies there, She Who Thirsts would thank him for the feast with a Banner that would force all who approached the Champion of Chaos to shiver at it's presence. Lorgar also made mention of his hatred towards the atheist Tau, and told Eliphas he would offer his own helm if he sacrificed the unbelievers to Chaos. And if he were to throw the Blood Ravens off the planet, Chaos itself whispered it might just give him that most ultimate of rewards; for if Kronus were to become a daemon world, it would only be fitting that it be ruled by the daemon prince that conquered it in the first place.

The first region to fall was the swamplands of Murad Island. It had been deserted by most of the kroot that lived there within days of the portal opening, so resistance was minimal. Eliphas could've let any one of his three captains take it; Lance the Red Wyrm for example, or the Khornate's rival Rothgar Peacebreaker, or even the vile Zell Greenskin. But this place had meaning to him he told his underlings, and he made sure he was the first to step foot on the island.

* * *

Two days into the construction of the forward base towards the southwest, Eliphas stood on a cliff overlooking Murad. From here he could see the Morriah Coast, and the soldiers of the Imperium that were beginning to set up a defensive position. He was not surprised at their move; the Imperial lapdogs knew he was the most dangerous threat to them, especially since they were so close.

Hearing what sounded like the whisper of the wind, he was not surprised when he turned around and saw one of his Sorcerers standing behind him. Paulus the Reformer had obtained his name from the fact his method of sowing Chaos on Imperial worlds was by spreading messages of hope and change to the downtrodden slaves of the False Emperor. He was one of Tzeentch's greatest mortal servants outside the Thousand Sons Legion, and Eliphas was glad to have his magic at his command. Bowing to his lord, Paulus asked, "So Lord Eliphas, I take it you are pleased with the progress made so far?"

Nodding his head, Eliphas replied "Indeed Paulus. But we cannot move too fast, Chaos moves at it's own pace and bows to no mortal."

"As wise as ever Dark Apostle." Both had heard the zapping sound made when Eliphas' other Sorcerer teleported to the cliff-face, and so turned to see him. Adamas Solomon was a true servant of Chaos, who made an effort to worship each and every god of Chaos; his Mark of Chaos Undivided shining brightly on his brow. Right now he was holding a plasma pistol. After bowing to Eliphas, he said, "This was recovered near one of the beaches on this island. I believe you would find great interest in it Lord Eliphas." Cocking an eyebrow, Eliphas took the pistol offered to him and marvelled at it. For even after all this time he recognised it.

Those that were close to Eliphas knew this was not the first time he had been here. During the Horus Heresy, the Word Bearers and the Alpha Legion had fought against the Ultramarines on many a world in the Eastern Fringe, Kronus being one of them. Eliphas had been but a young sergeant at the time, and still he remembered fighting his so-called 'brothers'.

Pointing his gun at the ground, Eliphas fired it one to test it and was satisfied to see it still worked. When he nodded his head at Adamas in approval, Paulus surprised him by muttering a word of praise for the one that normally would've been his rival. But he remembered they had been close ever since they had known each other, and knew their sense of comradeship was of a kind normally found in the so-called 'loyalist' chapters. Some had tried to take them down, but any that tried found they were more powerful together.

Shaking his head, the Dark Apostle turned from his Sorcerers to look at Morriah, and told himself "This world will belong to Chaos in due time, there is no other option."


	3. Chapter 2: Freedom Fighter

**Chapter 2: Freedom Fighter**

"For nearly 300 years what should be an Imperial world had been held by foul xenos known as the Tau. Though their technology has generated great fear in the Segmentum, it was their rather unique ideology that made them truly dangerous. After all, most humans are selfish. And though all sane men fear Chaos, the harsh necessity of the Ecclesiarchy are too much for those who think they had another choice; for how can the perceived ignorance & brutality of the Imperium compare to the notion of unity and peace? Simple; the realisation that peace is an illusion, and the only way for a strong humanity is one united under the God-Emperor of Terra. We will destroy these Tau that defile this world with their presence. The witch Taldeer will be captured and given to the Holy Inquisition so we can better learn how to eliminate the so-called 'Eldar' race. Her pet Orks shall die under the rain of fire we shall give them. The Necrons will learn the true meaning of death. The traitor Word Bearers shall find out that their blasphemy is nothing compared to the might of the all-powerful Emperor. And the Adeptes Astartes of the Blood Ravens? They shall pay the price for standing against loyal servants of the Imperium. For the Immortal Emperor is with us, the 1st Kronus Liberators. And today is our Victory Day!"

Thus spoke Father Markus, confessor to Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander and de-facto Arch-Deacon of Kronus, to the cheering troops as they finished landing on was used to be called Ironworks Bay, re-named Victory Bay by Alexander. It had once been the original city & capital, but it had been more-or-less abandoned by the Tau in favour for the more cosmopolitan Asharis. Its factories had been run-down, but thankfully the great Hellstorm Cannon had been left untouched. The industrious nature of the Imperium ensured everything was up and running within a week, with Techpriests studying the Titan cannon intensely. At the end of the week, the troops were ready to move out. But first, the strategy had to be planned out.

* * *

"So gentlemen, who's on the hit-list?" Alexander asked his officers & advisers the second day they landed; the captains of each of the five companies, his regimental commissar, his personal sanctioned psyker, Father Markus, and the head techpriest.

Samwise Vash of the 2nd Mechanised Company was the first to answer, saying "Bad news Governor. I spoke with Codicer Lucius of the Blood Ravens. He says that while their battle barge 'Litany of Fury' won't engage the fleet, his chapter intents to purge Kronus of all life, including any humans that may or may not be standing against them; and that for all intents and purposes means us. And to make matters worse they've set up their base in North Vandea, a position not that far from ours."

A curse was heard from Milton Knifes of the 5th Company, but Commissar-Colonel Anton Gibbet quickly silenced this. The psyker Legato Boyd put in his 2 cents, saying, "If it means anything Governor, I have worked out the likely location of the Eldar. The mountains of Tyrea are isolated and easily defended. Though it will mean having to deal with the Space Marines, at least one problem is out of the way; for normally one could spend years looking for the deceitful cowards and… never find them."

Most of those assembled nodded their heads, though Oswald Wilkinson of the 1st Veteran Company asked if it were possible for a truce between them and the relatively young Davian Thule, which Vash said wasn't on the table at the moment. Ellen Kempthorne of the 3rd Company said in her soft re-assuring tone "I have spoken to some of the new recruits from the Pavonian Heartland. They say the spaceport at Pavonis had been abandoned for the most part, as the Tau intends to entrench their capital at Asharis. Only a company of so-called Gue'vesa have stayed behind, and half to them actually wish to stand with us. If we were to take it soon, not only would we catch the pretenders off guard, but we could use it to bypass the Space Marines altogether and take all the enemy strongholds by surprise."

Everyone turned to the sole female there and banged their fists on the table in approval; even Father Markus who was frowning at the mention of the traitors that served the Tau smirked. Being the first to calm down, Uriel Dominion of the 4th Company said that they shouldn't focus all of their attention to the north half of the planet, reminded them of the portal that had opened at Deimos and the fact the Chaos Lord identified as Eliphas the Inheritor could very well catch them napping if they didn't set up a defensive position there.

Alexander considered this as he rubbed his chin. For his part he asked if anyone knew the location of the Orks and the Necrons. Enginseer John Redcape replied in his usual monotone that his sensors had found a large system of catacombs under the Thur'abis Plateau which could be the where the Necrons were hiding. Not wanting to feel he was making no contribution, Knifes said that the rok, which had been engaged by both the Imperial Fleet and the Litany of Fury (as well as the Tau fleet), had landed in the ork-infested Green Coast. Most of the others shrugged at the last comment, with Vash noting that with any luck Gorgutz would be taken out by either the Tau or the Word Bearers.

Now that all of his advisers had spoken, Alexander thanked them for their input and asked to let him think about his plan should be. After several minutes of uneasy silence he had made his decision.

At the week's end he would have the 4th Company backed up by Basilisks take Morriah to the south and 3rd Company secure the Pavonian Heartland to the west. Once those objective were complete the 5th Company would secure the Eres Badlands while the 1st Company take Pavonis. From there he would find out how strong the other contesters were before making his next move. Satisfied that there was no argument, Alexander raised his glass and made a toast to a human Kronus united under the Emperor, which made everyone raise his or her glasses in turn.

Just as everyone got up to retire for the night, Redcape told them of his intention to investigate the ruins of this planet, for it was rumoured there were more ancient artefacts then just the Hellstorm. Knowing he had no real control over the Priesthood of Mars, Alexander reluctantly assigned a Kasrkin team to protect him as he searched Kronus. Since there was nothing more to be said, they all left for a good night sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.


	4. Chapter 3: Dreamer

**Chapter 3: Dreamer**

Most in the galaxy that know of the Dark Crusade never realised that just because it was fought on a Tau world didn't mean it had anything to with them, or even the Imperium for that matter. At it's core, it was a conflict between the ancient Eldar and their age-old enemy the Necrons; everyone else were merely interfering.

It had been nearly a year since Farseer Taldeer of Ulthwe had defeated the Red Harvesters on Lorn V with the assistance of the Cadian 412th under General Sturm and the Ultramarines under Reclusiarch Varnus. Though she destroyed the Necron threat there as well as the fact her manipulations resulted in Warboss Gorgutz Headhunter killing Lord Krull of the World Eaters, thus preventing either of them doing any serious damage when the metal monsters came; her actions caused the Titan which everyone else was fighting over to explode. When Segmentum Command got wind of this, they were quick to order her capture so that she could face Imperial justice. As she knew she was hated for the simple fact she wasn't human, Taldeer wasn't overtly worried about this. What did was the fact she sensed another Tomb World awakening so soon, only three Terran months afterwards. It was eventually revealed to be Kronus, a relatively remote Tau world in the Eastern Fringe.

Before the war got under way, the Eldar got lucky. Taldeer's strike cruiser 'Tear of Isha' arrived a full week before the Imperium caught up with them. This gave enough time to send in Wave Serpent transports filled with Bonesingers ready to set up a base in Tyrea, a snow-capped mountain in the northwestern corner of Kronus' continent with great forests that could easily hide one's position. Better yet, the Tau had no ships of their own in the system and their satellites couldn't penetrate their cloaking devices, so there should've been no interference from the locals this time around. Unfortunately, fate would refuse to let the Farseer have it easy for long. Soon enough seven days came and went, and right on schedule the humans arrived. Of course they would never find her ship, as its captain had already hidden it behind a planet on the other side of the system. And Taldeer knew enough about Imperial policy to know they would deal with the Tau before they got to her, thus keeping all eyes off her while she dealt to her real enemy. But then shit hit the fan.

For the Space Marines had arrived. A mere two hours behind the Imperials, enough time for the majority of their transports to land, the battle barge 'Litany of Fury' had appeared near the Imperial fleet. Taldeer knew they were not with the Imperials, and suspected incorrectly that they had been petitioned for help only recently.

To make matters worse a large Tau fleet arrived not even an hour after the Blood Ravens, who had finished with their transports at North Vandea. She had been told they didn't have warp engines quick enough to be here this early and felt completely off-guard. What she didn't realise was that Kor'ar'tol, or rather Air Caste Command, had detected the Imperials approaching their space months ago, and the Tau made moves to counter the attack on what was their world. Because most of the relatively small Imperial fleet had set up a general perimeter around the planet, they could not prevent a breakthrough move made by the Tau which allowed them to land at their capital.

If that wasn't enough an Ork fleet bearing the insignia of her somewhat rival Gorgutz exited the warp and engaged the Imperials in a suicidal attack that let the rok containing the Warboss crash-land in the ork infested Green Coast.

And it to top it off she started to feel a sort of wrongness that had nothing to do with any of these new threats. Without warning she screamed as she felt the warp portal open in Deimos. Falling to her knees she clutched her chest, which was in very real pain, as the Farseer had… attuned to the rhythm of Kronus itself by now. The moment the short-breathed Taldeer recovered, she asked her Seer Council to meet her at the Council Chambers in the Webway Assembly.

* * *

The moment they were all seated, the Farseer told them in a stern tone "Sisters and brothers, this is getting out of hand. What was a simple incursion into a Necron Tomb World has become a full scale war in a day." Her warlock advisers looked downcast, not daring to reply even in agreement. Continuing, Taldeer said quietly "It seems… that nothing is what it seems after all. Tell me my kin, what do we know about our enemies?"

As she looked at the warlock to her left, the others figured they would each give their opinion in clockwise order. Vuthil, the warlock in question, looked up and said "We have located the single entry into the Necron catacombs. It is in the Thur'abis Plateau, a desolate area that is within striking distance from both the Tau and the Mon-Keigh as well as the spaceport at Pavonis. At this time we will have to take either Pavonis or the Tau city of Or'es Tash'n if we wish to enter their crypts. Unfortunately we arrived too late. They have awoken and already begun slaughtering whoever was unlucky enough to live there."

Turning to his comrade next to him, the young Herulach said, "As far as the Tau go we are in luck. They appear to have no reason to go after us if unprovoked. They do not know we are here, and even if they did they are smart enough to realise they have more pressing matters to deal with."

With that last comment, Taldeer's old friend Elenia muttered "If only we could say the same for the Mon-Keigh." More clearly, she told the others "The Imperials on the other hand cannot be relied on this time. The young General Alexander will burn this world if he deems it necessary to kill us. Despite the fact Thur'abis is relatively close to their position at Victory Bay, they will follow their orders blindly and go after us before the real enemy."

Hestaire agreed, saying "Indeed so. When one gives them guidance, they see entrapment. When we give warnings, they think we are setting them for betrayal. And even if we told them of the darkest of dangers, they would rather prove their barbarity by hunting down those that try to help them. This council sees no point in asking for their help, even their deaths couldn't serve us."

Taldeer nodded her head, as such thoughts mirrored her own. Herulach interrupted by asking if the Tau could lend a hand, but Taldeer's niece Shi'ashra said "No. To our understanding they have never dealt with Chaos seriously let alone Necrons. They would go to die for nothing. And even if we did ally with such children, they would expect us to help them re-conquer this world; which frankly isn't in our interests."

Carrying on, Dreuthir said, "The Blood Ravens… are worse then the rest of the Imperials. Under the pretence of protecting their secrets, they plan to wipe out all life on Kronus. Even Alexander's soldiers, loyal to their Emperor as they are, are not safe. Truly mankind are right to be called Mon-Keigh. They're as bad as the Necrons, possibly worse; for they should know even the basics of right and wrong."

Next was Taldeer's cousin Mortharor, who was nearly a Farseer himself. He was still shaking slightly, as he had also felt the arrival of the Chaos Space Marines. With a rasp he told the council that he knew what happened exactly, telling that heretics had opened a portal to the warp which was being used by a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers named Eliphas the Inheritor. Taldeer said she didn't know that name personally, and asked him if he could contact those Craftworlds that normally resided near the Maelstrom in the hope they could say more.

Last was the charming Ashainnarya, who confirmed that the Warboss that was in the middle of taking over the Green Coast was indeed the annoying Gorgutz. She mentioned that manipulating him wasn't an option this time, as he had learned much from Lorn V.

Taldeer thanked them and asked for silence as she tried to foresee which path was best. An hour later she looked up and told them her plan. They would ignore the distractions and go straight for the main objective, the Necrons. They would capture Pavonis and use the plot-coursing technology their to bypass the ships in orbit. Once the Van der Mar Mountains were secure, they would decent into Thur'abis and send the Plateau crashing down on the deathless machines before getting off Kronus. To prevent others cutting them off, they would have Demes & Ariel fortified and set up psychic barriers around Panrea to stop the Tau & the Blood Ravens interfering. After that was done, she would use the webway portals in Tyrea to retreat to the safety of their ship. She didn't care about the fate of the others, so long as it didn't clash with that of Ulthwe or the Eldar. Some people thought the Eldar actually gave a damn about the galaxy, when truth be told it was self-preservation that guided their actions. And the unfortunately thing is, they were too arrogant to admit it.


	5. Chapter 4: Untouchable

**Chapter 4: Untouchable**

Of all the forces fighting on Kronus, none were so reviled as the deathless robots known as the Necrons. When push came to shove even the likes of Orks and Chaos would rather stand with their worst enemies that let the servants of the C'tan star gods kill them all indiscriminately. Not that such a miracle would ever happen of course, an enemy of an enemy was not necessarily a friend after all. And while the whole Dark Crusade was mostly based around stopping the Red Harvest, the whole thing could've been avoided were it not for the actions of one man.

Thomas Macabee had been an archaeologist from the outskirts of Pavonis. Initially his insights into the technology left behind by humanity was respected by his superiors, but his obsession with what lay beyond the forbidden tunnel into Thur'abis Plateau stunted his career. He grew anxious to the point of depression, and started to rant about a perfect order where everything happened as it should to his logical mind. A day before the Eldar came; he secretly led a team of explorers into the catacombs where he found what he was unknowingly looking for. With this single act he condemned an entire world to death and ruin. For he personally woke up not merely the numberless foot soldiers, but the Necron Lord that had once ruled Kronus many ages ago.

His team died painfully & quickly at the hands of the one that had long forgotten it's name or any other part of its identity. But Macabee himself awaited another fate. When he got on his knees in fear like the others, he didn't beg for his life; instead he asked if he could join them and become one with them, for he realised the Necrons were the key to bringing about his perfect order. That it was tantamount to death meant nothing to the damned human, he got what he wanted.

He was led to the deepest tomb to the central Monolith which protected the altar to the C'tan known as the Nightbringer. This Star God was truly the personification of fear to every living being in the galaxy save the Ork and those that were given the gift of life after the Necrons began their eternal slumber like the Tau. To the Eldar he was Kaelis Ra, the Destroyer of Light; to humanity he was the Grim Reaper. Once inside Macabee was placed inside a chamber where he was… remade. Normally he would've been one of untold Necron Warriors. But by pure luck he was an Untouchable, a special kind of human which was the bane of psykers. To be in the presence of one was unbearable to them. For this he would receive a new, more powerful design.

Metal unknown to mankind replaced his limbs, skeleton and organs. But what made him special was not just his extraordinary weapon, a warscythe that could cut through any defence wether it be armour, shield or magic. Even the fact he somehow retained the Pariah gene wasn't unique, as other Tomb Worlds now had these special forces (although it must be said that the new additions were very pleasing to the C'tan, for they hated the spirit realm of the Warp more then life itself). What made him stand out from the rest was how he was allowed to retain his personality to a degree. For while every servant of the C'tan save the Lords were but automatons, Macabee was to be made powerful in the eyes of the Nightbringer.

The Necron Lord decided that its troops would be all the more feared by the fact it would be led by one who had turned so recently. To this end Macabee was made field commander of all Necron forces. Though the Lord had the actual power, it would be the former human that would serve as the figurehead. His plan was to spread out from Thur'abis like one great wave that would wipe out the entire continent. Van der Mar, Janus, Pavonis, Morriah; they were just names which would lose their meaning soon enough.


End file.
